Public health grants in England are “far too little, far too late,” says president of directors

Experts have said that the £3.53bn public health grant to English local authorities for 2023-24, just announced by the government, won’t properly fund services.

Ministers said the grant allocations will give each local authority a 3.3% cash terms increase.1 Jim McManus, president of the Association of Directors of Public Health, said, however, that the money was not enough to make up for years of funding reductions. Some public health services would still have to be cut even though there was strong evidence for their impact and effectiveness.

“With little over two weeks to go until the start of the financial year the public health grant announcement is, …